Method of laying sheet metallic flooring



Oct'. 2 0, 1953 w. G. KocHr METHOD OF LAYING SHEET METALLIC FLOORING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6.. 1949 Oct. 20, 1953 w. G. KocH METHOD OE LATINO SHEET METALLIC FLOORING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6, 1949 :FIVE- 1l JNVENTOR. @b/@Yew QM focf 9 Oct. 20, 1953 y W. G. KOCH METHOD OF LAYING SHEET METALLIC FLOORING Filed Jan. 6 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet i5 IN VEN TOR.

,4 ria@ /vf v Patented Oct. 20, 1953 METHOD OF LAYING SHEET METALLIC FLOORING Walter G. Koch, Evansville, Ind., assignor to International Steel Company, Evansville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application January 6, 1949, Serial No. 69,525

3 Claims.

My invention relates broadly to transportation equipment and more particularly to a construction of sheet flooring and method of laying the same in transportation units.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved method for installing a floor in transportation units for sanitary transportation of meats, fruits, vegetables, and other commodities to the markets.

Another object of my invention is to provide a method of laying a metallic flooring for transportation units in large sheets in coaction with the side Walls of the transportation unit for providing a sanitary interior for the transportation unit.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in an improved method of installing the stainless steel flooring, as set forth more fully in the specification |hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a horizontal view taken on line I-I of Fig. 2 showing the interior of a transportation unit with the metallic flooring of my invention installed therein; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is' a detail transverse sectional View of one of the metallic floor sheets on a scale enlarged with respect to the scales of Figs. l and 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale illustrating one method of forming a butt weld between adjacent metallic floor sheets, the upstanding sides of the metallic floor sheets being illustrated in longitudinal section; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figs. l and 4; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified form of connection for the metallic floor sheets forming the oor in which adjacent floor sheets have their transverse edges interconnected, overlapped and spot Welded: Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on line 'I-l of Fig. 6, and extended to include an entire floor sheet; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View of two sections of flooring connected by a butt weld and prepared for an overlapping connection at one end yas used in the form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a schematic View illustrating my improved method for installing a large area of flooring in a transportation unit, the View illustrating the position of the section of flooring as it is introduced into the top of the transportation unit; Fig. 10 illustrates the manner of automatically releasing the section of ooring as it comes to rest on the base structure of the transportation unit, the view being taken on line IB--I of Fig. 1l; Fig. l1 is a horizontal (Cl. ,Z9-148.2)

sectional view taken on line I I-I I of Fig. 10 illustrating the rig employed for installing the metallic floor sections; Fig. 12 is a perspective view illustrating the method of overlapping the metallic flooring at one end of the transportation unit and Fig. 13 shows the manner of overlapping the metallic sheet flooring adjacent the door opening of the transportation unit.

My invention is directed to an improved method of laying metallic flooring. My invention is illustrated as applied particularly to refrigeration cars but it Will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to trucks and other mobile carriers.

When my invention is applied to refrigeration cars, wide strips of flexible stainless steel are welded edge to edge to form a flexible'lloor of large area for covering approximately one-half of the interior of the refrigerator car. The stainless steel flooring constituted by the several transversely extending strips has resilient side wall extensions formed lintegrally therewith. These side wall extensions are angularly displaceable in a sidewise direction as the central portion of the sheet flooring is displaced in a vertical direction. Accordingly, I provide a rig having transversely extending pintles slidably engageable through transversely aligned apertures in the side wall extensions of the flooring in such manner that the sheet flooring may be suspended and maintained on the rig while it is being introduced and moved into position into the transportation unit and then `automatically released when the flooring comes to rest on the base of the transportation unit or car in its required position. Thus large areas of flooring may be rapidly and uniformly laid in each of the halves of a refrigerator car and a highly sanitary lining for the car quickly installed.

Referring to the drawings which will be described as applied to a refrigeration car, reference character I designates the conventional floor for a refrigerator car having side walls 2 and 3 and end Walls 4 and 5. The conventional lspace for refrigeration units is provided in each end of the refrigerator car as represented at 5 and l with partitions 8 and 9 separating the refrigeration units from the interior of the refrigerator car. The sanitary flooring comprises a multiplicity of wide strips of stainless steel formed in two units laid in opposite ends of the refrigerator car. The unitin one end of the refrigerator car comprises transverse strips Il, I2, I3, I4, I5 and I6. The unit in the other end of the refrigerator car comprises transverse strips I1, I8, I9, 20, 2I and 22. 'I'he end strip in each instance has an outwardly projecting end portion represented at IIa and 22a respectively, which extend beneath partitions 8 and 9 and. overlap the extended edge 50 of `the drip pan 5I installed in each of the refrigerator unit spaces B and 1 in each end of the refrigeration car.. All of the other strips, as well as the strips II and 22, have upwardly extending side portions represented at IIb, IIc; I2b, I2c; I3b, I3c; I4b, I4c; |5b, I5c; I6b, I5c; I1b, Hc; IIb, Ic; IDb, I9c; 20h, 20c; 2lb, 2Ic; and 22h, 22e.

The several strips are interconnected at their transverse edges so that each unit forms a substantially continuous plane area. Several methods may be employed in forming the seams between the transversely extending edges of the several strips. One method is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5, where strips I4 and I5 are butt welded at their adjacent transverse edges, as represented at 28, and the transverse edges welded in a fluidtight joint. In Figs. 6 and 7, I show a modified form of connection wherein the strips are over lapped. For this purpose the transverse strip I4 has its trailing edge slightly displaced upwardly as represented at I4d, while the leading edge of the co-actlng adjacent strip I5 is displaced slightly downwardly as represented at ld, so that the adjacent strips 'telescopically tit one into the other. This same defamation exists with respectto the sidewalls I4c and I5c of the adjacent strips as represented iin Fis. 6 where the opstanding edge I4c' extends slightly inwardly while the upstanding edge I5c extends slightly outwardly allowing a lslight overlap of the edges ofthe transverse strips .I 4 and I5 for thus forming a floor and side welll surface which is substantially continuous.

In order to explain the manner of establishing the seams between the .adjacent transverse strips,

I .have greatly exaggerated .the displacement of the mined edges at the scale on which Figs. 44) have been drawn, and it will be understood that in `practice the .seam at the overlap is scarcely perceptible and a substantially plane surface is provided VIn order to assure the covering of the car iloor in s, substantially continuous plane with minimum bulge at the vseams Abetween the strips, I may connect the strips by the transverse vbutt weld as heretofore explained in connection with Figs. 1-5. In this arrangement co-acting adiacent strips I4 and I5 have their transverse edges aligned and united by a butt weld along the zone indicated at 23. 'I'his butt weld extends continuously throughout the bottom central portion of the transverse strips as well as the upstanding end portions I4c and I5c, shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a composite method of connecting the floor strips by providing for a butt weld at 23 and an overlap connection and welded seam at 24. The displaced end 24 coacts with a comp1ementary-shaped portion of an adjacent strip.

The plane metallic door surface thus oo nstructed, when installed in the refrigerator car, provides a continuous sanitary surface extending from opposite ends of the refrigerator car to the loading and unloading section of the car at the center thereof, represented at 25 in Figs. 1, 2 and 1L The center of the refrigerator car is shown as provided with conventional refrigerator 'doors 26 and 21. The central loading and unloading Zone 25 is provided with a stainless steel floor section 2B which is lapped under or butt welded to the transverse edges I6e and I1e of strips I6 and 4 I1. The stainless steel threshold plate 28 insures a continuous flow of washing fluid for cleaning the refrigerator car. The metallic surface is thus substantially continuous throughout the threshholo. of the refrigerator car.

In order that the joint at each corner of floor section 28 and the car wall shall be tight, I provided a corner closure angle strip 52 having horizontally extending foot portions 53 and 54 extending at right angles thereto and projecting beneath the floor section 28 and floor section I1 which has an upstanding side Wall welded at some spots I1h to the strip 52. At the opposite end of the ooring where connection is made to the drip pan `5I as shown in Fig. 12 a closure plate 55 ls provided shaped to conform with the base structure I and with the drip pan 5I The corner closure plate 55 laps under floor section II at 56 and laps over drip pan 5I at 51 and 58. A welded connection may be made along the edge of side wall IIb at I Ih as'indicated.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through one of the transverse strips, such as strip I4, and illustrating the central bottom portion and the upwardly extending side portions I4b and I4c. The stainless steel sheet constituting the transverse strip I4 is exible and resilient and the side portions I4b and I4c are integrally oonnected therewith so that vertical displacement of the central portion I4 is accompanied by angular displacement of side portions I4b and I4c. The side portions I4b and I4c are biased outwardly by the inherent resiliency of the material of the strips. This property of each of the transverse sheets when assembled into the unit of 1arte area for filling each of the interior ends of the refrigerator car facilitates the installation of the floor units. This will be clear from a. considera tion of Figs. 9-11.

In Fig. 9 I have shown the body structure of the transportation unit disposed beneath the track or runway 30 supported on columns 3I and 32 and carrying traveling crane 33. The traveling cmne 33 supports the hoist 34 which may be raised and lowered under control of chain system 35. In Fig. 9 I have shown the hoist near its extreme upper position connected with the longitudinally extendvNK beam 31S. Flexible chains 31 extend from beam 36 and connect with angle members 38, 39, 40 and 4I which extend parallel to central beam 36 and serve as supports for the transverse beams 42, 43, 44 and 45. 'Iransverse beams 42 and 43 are suspended from one end of longitudinally extending beam 36, while transverse beams 44 and 45 :are suspended from the other end of longi tudinally extending beam 34. The suspension ol both sets of beams is symmetrical and both sets of beams pendently hang in a position for supporting the metallic floor unit.

The transverse beams 42. 43, 44 and 45 each have their opposite ends shaped to provide engaging pintles, that is, end sections of small dlameter resembling horizontally extending pins which I have designated at 42a, 42h; 43a, 43h; 44a, 44h; 45a, 45h. The tip to tip transverse distance from pin 45a to pin 45b is shorter than the interior width of the transportation unit between walls 2 and 3, so that the rig including the transverse beams may be readily lowered into the interior of the transportation unit as represented in Figs. 9, 10 and l1.

The iioor units are provided with sets of perforations in positions adapted to register with the termini of the several pins on the opposite ends of the transverse beams 42, 4I, 44 and 45.

acta-715 That isto say, transverse strip I I is provided with centrally disposed perforations IIf and IIg in the outstanding end portions IIc and IIb. Similarly, transverse strip I3 is provided in the opposite ends [3c and Ib thereof with centrally arranged perforations I3f and I3g, whereby pins 42a and 42o of beam 42 may be aligned with periorations I If and Iig, while pins 43a and 43h are aligned with perforations I3f and I3g, respectively. In a similar manner pins 44a and 44h of transverse beam 44 may be aligned with perforations Idf and Mg in end portions and Mb of strip I4. At the same time pins 45a and 45h may be aligned with perforations [Si and I6g in the ends IBc and IBb of strip I6. With the rig thus aligned the sheet metal floor unit may be hooked over the ends of the pins and the floor unit supported on the rig as represented in Fig. 9, ready for lowering into the bottom of the transportation unit.

The mass of the average floor unit for conventional refrigerator cars constructed in accordance with my invention averages approximately 600 lbs. and of a length of approximately 15' and an overall transverse width of approximately 8' 6%, The stainless steel flooring I employ is U. S. Standard #18 gauge having a thickness of approximately .0375", and as the floor unit gravitates downwardly as represented in Fig. 9 which is a transverse cross sectional Y view through the iloor unit, as represented for example by strip IB, the ends Ic and I Gb are canted inwardly whereby the perforations If and ISg engage over the pins 45a and 45h. In this position there is sunlcient clearance for the iloor unit to be lowered between the interior side walls 2 and 3 of the transportation unit. The fact that the iloor unit gravitates downwardly under its own mass along a longitudinal center line effects a contraction in the effective transverse width of the floor unit. In this way the floor unit is lowered into position in the direction of the arrow 46 in Fig. 9 to a position in which the lowermost portion of the catenary formed by the floor unit strikes the longitudinal center line of the car body shown at I in Fig. l0. As the rig continues its downward descent the flexible resilient sheet-like material of the flooring flattens downwardly against the surface of the base structure of the transportation unit I serving to automatically shift the side portions represented at IBc and Ib outwardly toward the interior of the walls 2 and 3 of the transportation unit as limits, whereby perforations ISf and Ig are freed from the ends of pins 45a and 45h. This serves to automatically release the rig 36 leaving the flooring unit properly centered in the transportation unit. The rig is then free to be withdrawn from the transportation unit ready for the connection thereto of another floor unit for a subsequent floor placement operation. The approximately 600 lbs. of resilient and exible sheet metal flooring is thus laid in position ready to be secured to the side walls of the transportation unit. Fig. l0 shows an exaggerated inclination of the side portions I6c and Ib in order to illustrate the principle involved as the side portions orient toward the side walls.

Wherever in the claims I have mentioned seaming of the ooring strips I intend the term seamed to include welding or connecting generally.

The floor of my invention provides a usable structurally hard metallic surface for wear under severe loading conditions. In laying the floor- 6 ing a layer of mastic may be spread on the flooring for adhesion of the hard metal flooring to the wood structural oor. Any desired,- form of sheet fiooring may be laid on the structure.

I have found the floor construction of my invention highly practical in use in rendering the interior of refrigerator cars clean and sanitary and ready to be washed out and cleansed after use. The method of laying the floor has been found to be very practical and saving in time and labor. I realize however that modifications might be made and I desire that it be understood that I intend no limitations be made upon my invention other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. The method of laying a sheet of substantially flat metallic ilooring in a restricted space which consists in bending opposite sides of a flat metallic sheet of coring upwardly, perforating the upwardly bent sides at spaced intervals along the length thereof, suspending the metallic sheet from the perforations in the bent sides, centering the suspended sheet over a conned area in which the sheet of flooring is to be deposited on a base, lowering the iiooring through the confined area while the iiooring gravitates downwardly at its center along a catenary curve, resting the curved portion of the flooring on a base support, and laying the (zo-extensive portions of the sheet on the base support while imparting an outwardly iiexing bodily rnovement` to the sides of the sheet for freeing the perforations thereof from the suspensions.

2. The method of installing a sanitary metallic door for transportation units which comprises seaming a multiplicity of transverse strips of metallic sheeting appreciably longer than the width of the transportation unit `aggregating in length approximately one-half the length of the transportation unit, perforating the marginal edges of the strips, suspending the transverse edges of the strips from the perforations therein to form a central catenary ycurve and effecting a contraction in the overall length of the strips to a length capable of passing through the confined area of a transportation unit, resting the central catenary curve portions of the strips on the bottom of the transportation unit and releasing the strips for establishing contact between the marginal edges of the strips and the lside walls of the transportation unit and throughout the area of the bottom of the transportation unit.

3. The method of covering the interior of the base and portions of the side walls of a transportation unit with metallic sheeting having a transverse dimension appreciably in excess of the width of a transportation unit and a length suiiicient to cover approximately one-half of the interior length of the transportation unit, perforating the marginal edges of certain of the metallic strips, forming upstanding end portions on the ends of the strips, suspending the metallic sheet at spaced positions transversely thereof from the perforated marginal edges thereof for contracting the sheet to a distance effectively less than the width or the transportation unit for passing the sheet through the open top of the transport-ation unit, lowering the metallic sheet through the transportation unit with the marginal edges extending upwardly in tension and the central portion of the sheet, lowered downwardly in a oatenary curve, rating the lowered portion of the sheet against the base ot the transportation unit and releasing the metallic sheet from the edge suspension thereof when the lowered portion of the metallic sheet rests upon the base of the transportation unit throughout substantially the entire area of the sheet for forming a substantially continuous metallic covering over approximately one-half of the eective length of the transportation unit, and providing a. side wa-ll lining upwardly at opposite side Walls thereof.

WALTER G. KOCH.

References Cited in the le Vof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Number Name Date Robinson Dec. 25, 1934 Betz Feb. 19. 1935 Murphy Jan. 3, 1939 Rosovsky Jan. 9, 1940 Gilpin Aug. 13, 1940 Gunn Mar. 30, 1943 Lohse Aug. 13, 1946 Brock Feb. 4, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date England Nov. 6, 1919 

